Councils keen for reinstatement of Country Local Government Fund grants

The WA Local Government Association (WALGA) says it is hopeful regional councils which lost a combined $20 million in previously allocated funds will be given a State Government reprieve.

Thirty-six regional local governments lost allocated Country Local Government Fund grants last year, with the state saying they had not acquitted previous funds properly.

That took a combined $20 million, earmarked for infrastructure projects, away from regional councils.

Three south-west councils and eight in the Great Southern were affected, along with six Goldfields-Esperance councils, at least seven in the mid-west and Wheatbelt and two in the Pilbara.

The Shire of Derby West Kimberley lost about $1million.

WALGA president Troy Pickard says Regional Development Minister Terry Redman has now written to the affected councils, saying he will include the funds in Cabinet's budget deliberations.

"Hopefully his Cabinet colleagues will also see the merit of the state adhering to their existing funding agreement and ensure at least $20 million is allocated effectively from the 2013 financial year so those projects can be completed," he said.

"Minister Redman has just written to all those country local governments, advising that he has agreed to honour the funding agreement and the $20 million commitment and he will now include that in the funding deliberations of Cabinet."